A Season to Never Forget

CINCINNATI,
Ohio - When head coach Guy Gadowsky assumed responsibilities as Penn State
hockey's head coach, he didn't arrive with a timeline for program milestones
and accomplishments in mind. Rather, Gadowsky and his staff have a checklist, having
decided to focus first, on forging a foundation built on the principles of work
ethic and commitment.

On Sunday
night, third-seeded Penn State's 2016-17 season officially came to a close in
the NCAA regional finals, as top-seeded Denver emerged with 6-3 decision.

Regardless
of the bitter end, there's no denying that the 2016-17 season saw plenty of list-checking
worthy moments that filled loyal fans with a palpable sense of pride, leaving enough
excitement to pique even the interest of the most skeptical critics.

First there
was the program's rise to a No. 1 national ranking, which came January 16th
following a pair of wins against Michigan State. Next, a thrilling marathon run
through the Big Ten Tournament, culminating in the program's first conference
title, a feat that Gadowsky noted postgame, he and the staff didn't think
possible so soon.

Just days
later, the Nittany Lions earned their first NCAA Tournament berth in program
history, making a striking debut with a record-setting 10-3 win against Union
before arriving in the regional finals, facing Penn State's toughest test all year
long.

"This
season can be a very important one," Gadowsky said. "I don't think anyone will
forget this season, it was magical."

The
Pioneers opened the scoring with a goal 3:17 into the first period before
widening the advantage to two, sending a laser through traffic and past Penn
State goaltender Peyton Jones at the 7:19 mark.

Nikita
Pavlychev's shorthanded goal shaved the deficit to one as the freshmen dished
to Ricky DeRosa, who sent it right back just in time for a finish. At 2:02 in
the second period, it was fellow freshman Denis Smirnov who scored to tie the
game, 2-2, striking up the pulse of the Nittany Lion fans in the stands at U.S.
Bank Arena.

Penn State couldn't
find its rhythm to settle into though as Denver scored again to recapture the
two-goal lead before adding a power-play goal with 1:18 left in second period,
stretching the gap to three, 5-2.

"I don't
think we were necessarily us, but you have to give them a lot of credit for
making us not us," Gadowsky said.

Although
facing a daunting deficit, as DeRosa noted postgame, there was no panic on the
bench headed toward the final period of play.

"We have a
saying, don't panic just manage," DeRosa said. "We posted five goals in the
third period yesterday so that was the mindset in the locker room, just chip
away at it."

Penn State
did make every attempt to do just that, as James Gobetz fired a shot from up
near the blue line to for his first goal of the year to bring the Nittany Lions
back within two, 5-3, at 12:40 in the third period.

The Nittany
Lions wouldn't pull any closer though as Denver continued to stifle the
offense, turning away a variety of seemingly promising opportunities with
Pioneer goalie Tanner Jaillet finishing with 24 saves. Denver added an empty
net goal late in the frame to make it 6-3 before the final blare of the horn.

As the
scoreboard illuminated with zeros, Penn State retired to the locker room with
the sting of the season-ending loss setting in.

"I believe
it was Nikita Pavlychev who said thank you on behalf of the freshmen, and James
Robinson thanked everyone else," Gobetz said. "Everyone was pretty emotional,
kind of consoling each other. I mean, we are brothers. It is obviously a tough
loss, but we will bounce back and we are thankful for the seniors for sure."

In early
March, Penn State honored a group of five seniors on senior night at Pegula Ice
Arena. A group of Nittany Lions who committed to a program in its early
beginnings, unknowing of the future or what to expect, they proudly helped shaped
an already special legacy from the moment they said yes to Hockey Valley. Seeing
everything from the first game in Pegula Ice Arena to their last game, which
came in Penn State's first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history, it's
a journey that features unprecedented achievement.

"The seniors
have really taught me a lot," Gobetz said. "I think we have a lot of freshmen
here, and we are all very thankful for what they have done. Without them, we
would not be here, that is for sure. They built this program and we thanked
them in the locker room after the game and obviously, we could not be more
thankful for them."

Strengthened
by the 2016-17 seniors and for all those who have come before and for those who
are still yet to come, the future for Penn State hockey is undoubtedly bright.

Among the
blazing outlook, Penn State returns 11 from its standout group of freshmen, including
Smirnov, who netted the second period equalizer, setting a single-season Penn
State freshman record with his 19th goal of the season, breaking
Andrew Sturtz's record (18) from last year.

"We'll remember this team forever, but at the
same time, I hope the guys that are returning use it as motivation," Gadowsky
said. "We didn't match up great today. I don't think we were us and I hope we
get another shot at a Denver. I'm proud of what happened this year, but we use
it as motivation. We learned a lot this year, as a program, as coaches, and as
individuals as well. It's tough right now, but we'll definitely use is as
motivation."